I don't like the idea of paper printed books to be more expensive because the target aren't the true players but the collectors.
We think twice about to spend our money for our hobby when we start to feel we are being cheated. We can't love a product sold by company who doesn't respect us as customers.
I don't mind their project of VTT but here to be the number one is about to sell the right product the consumers want, not about to terminate the rival companies.
I don't reject their intentions D&D as a multimedia franchise, but their market strategy can't be based into we as compulsive-buyer zombies. We have to study, to work, and bills and taxes to be paid.
* Maybe I have watched too many movies, but I wonder if this epic failure was allowed to can cut heads among the CEOs of Hasbro top sphere, and like this to change some chairs. This has been one of the worst blunders within the entertaiment industry. D&D was in the best age of its history, but somebody wanted to be too smart and earn more.
* Do you know what would be funny? All their efforst for the VTT will be useless if, for example, Epic Games creates a Computer-TTRPG and their own VTT to be used in Fortnite: Creative Mode 2.0. Or it could be even worse, a Chinese videogame company creating a piracy clone, with the blessing of the Chinese goverment. (Do you know anything about the Chinese books about Harry Potter?)
* Hasbro could win in the trials of justice, but losing in the opinion of the people from the street.
* One of the first lessons learnt by the DMs is you can't hope the roleplayers following the railroad you had planned in the beginning. Your strategy has to change according the reality. For example the super-famous videogame Fortnite didn't started as a BR, that was not the initial plan, but a little time the BR mode was added in free-to-play, and then for surprise of everybody it became the superstar of the BR. You need enough mental flexibility to can change the strategy.
Maybe D&D Beyond would enjoy a better future as a plataform and streamer-service for 3PPs. Who said these were the enemy?